Breast cancer is a cancer of the glandular breast tissue and it is developed when a cancerous tumor occurs inside the breast. There are two main types of breast cancer. One is ductal carcinoma which starts in the tubes (ducts) that move milk from the breast to the nipple; most breast cancers are of this type. The other is lobular carcinoma which starts in parts of the breast, called lobules, which produce milk. In rare cases, breast cancer can start in other areas of the breast.
Many breast cancers are sensitive to the hormone estrogen. This means that estrogen causes the breast cancer tumor to grow. Such cancer is called estrogen receptor positive cancer or ER positive cancer.
Some women have what's called HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2 refers to a gene that helps cells grow, divide, and repair themselves. When cells have too many copies of this gene, cells, including cancer cells, grow faster. Experts think that women with HER2-positive breast cancer have a more aggressive disease and a higher risk of recurrence than those who do not have this type.
Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death (after lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer). In 2005, breast cancer caused 502,000 deaths (7% of cancer deaths; almost 1% of all deaths) worldwide. Among women worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death. Because the breast is composed of identical tissues in males and females, breast cancer also occurs in males, though it is less common.
Several herbal compounds or complexes have been indicated to be candidate drugs for treating breast cancer. For example, Puerariae radix and Ginseng radix Rubra extracts were suggested to have effective estrogenic actions and could be developed as estrogenic supplements. In addition, folk history has it that Sacred water lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) can be used to treat cancer. Modern research has isolated certain compounds from the plant that show anticancer activity. However, there was no research showing that extracts of Nelumbo nucifera can mitigate breast cancer.
Sacred water lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) has been used in the Orient as a medicinal herb for well over 1,500 years. All parts of the plant are used as herbal medicine because they have astringent, cardio-tonic, febrifuge, hypotensive, resolvent, stomachic, styptic, tonic or vessel dilating effect. For example, the leaf juice is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and is decocted with liquorice for the treatment of sunstroke.
A decoction of the flowers is used in the treatment of premature ejaculation. The flowers are recommended as a cardiac tonic. A decoction of the floral receptacle is used in the treatment of abdominal cramps, bloody discharges etc. The flower stalk is haemostatic. It is used in treating bleeding gastric ulcers, excessive menstruation, post-partum haemorrhage.
The stamens are used in treating urinary frequency, premature ejaculation, haemolysis, epistasis and uterine bleeding. Besides, a decoction of the fruit is used in the treatment of agitation, fever, heart complaints etc. Furthermore, the seed is sedative and used in the treatment of poor digestion, enteritis, chronic diarrhoea, insomnia and palpitations.
The root is tonic and the root starch is used in the treatment of diarrhea or dysentery, a paste is applied to ringworm and other skin ailments. It is also taken internally in the treatment of haemorrhages, excessive menstruation and nosebleeds. The roots are harvested in autumn or winter and dried for later use.
The root nodes are used in the treatment of nasal bleeding, haemoptysis, haematuria and functional bleeding of the uterus. The plumule and radicle are used to treat thirst in high febrile disease, hypertension, insomnia and restlessness.